Here's a little one I had on my mind for a while now. And I also didn't want this to look like it's dead, but more on that at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

Maternal Bond

She hummed to herself as she wiped the bar counter, her shoulders moving to the music from the stereo that was resting behind her. Once it was clean enough to her liking she moved from behind the bar to the tables, passing Denzel who was eagerly sweeping the floor in tune with the music, giving her a big grin that she returned.

"Yippie yi ooohhh, Yippie yi yaaaay," she sang along to the deep voice of Billy Gil. "Doomtrain in the sky."

"You like this kind of music a lot, right?" Denzel asked her.

"I love it." Tifa laughed. "I was the only kid my age that did. Everyone else only liked rock or the newest pop songs. Not me though, country gal through and through."

She looked at Denzel. "What kind of music do you like?"

"I...don't know," he admitted after thinking for a moment, then shrugged. "Never really heard a lot of music in the past. I like this song though!"

"Heh, we're gonna make a Chocobo Boy out of you yet."

"What kind of music does Cloud like?"

"That...is a good question." Tifa looked up from her work. In the past 2 years she never really witnessed him listening to music. A small part of her tried to imagine him listening to country music by his lonesome and sometimes, when he felt he wasn't being watched, letting out a YEEHAW! Tifa had to use all of her willpower not to laugh at that mental image.

She fixed Denzel with a look. "You know what? We're gonna ask him when he gets back."

"Sure!" Denzel grinned. It warmed her heart to see the boy be this cheerful. Back when he had Geostigma there was always something sad about him, despite the cheer he put on. But not anymore. Now he could be a normal kid.

It was Saturday, and both of them were alone in the house right now. Cloud had just left yesterday, on a delivery that would take him until tomorrow to complete, and Barret had picked up Marlene, to spend the day with him while he was in Edge for some business. So that left the two of them all day to do some stuff around the house, before they would open the bar in the evening.

"Alright, I think we're done here!" Tifa said, putting her hands on her hips and looking around the bar in satisfaction, like a queen looking over her realm. Walking over to the bar she put the rag into the sink for her to clean up later. In her mind she went over the list of chores for the day, and found that there was only one thing to be done now.

"Hmm, I guess shopping is next!"

"Are we going to the market?" Denzel asked as he placed the broom behind the bar. Tifa looked at the clock on the wall; the market was still open for a few more hours. Maybe she could do some additional shopping then!

"Sure!" Tifa turned off the stereo and headed upstairs to get a bag. When she returned Denzel was already at the door, bouncing on his feet, making Tifa giggle. She locked the door behind them and they made their way down the street, passing and greeting some of their neighbors along the way.

The market was a relatively new addition to Edge, and it was a place where people from the areas around Edge, namely Kalm and even places as far as the Chocobo Ranch, would offer their wares to the prospering city. As they walked through the crowd of people, Tifa offered Denzel her hand so that they wouldn't be separated.

Together they bought groceries and some ingredients that she could use for tonight's menu. Denzel insisted that he would carry the bag, something that Tifa found endearing enough that she accepted. They stopped in front of a few other stalls, Tifa being especially captivated by one selling jewelry. But the prices were just a little over their budget. Ah, but it's nice to fantasize a little.

At the next stand, on the other hand, she could afford a bit of a spending spree. A flower merchant wasn't something you saw every day, and fond memories of her dear departed friend overcame her. Besides, they were very pretty flowers, so she decided to buy some for the bar.

"Here you go, ma'am," the friendly middle aged man said as he handed her a bouquet. His eyes fell on Denzel and he gave him a big grin. "Doing a man's duty, huh?"

"Yes!" Denzel pushed out his chest proudly as he held the bag in his left hand.

"That's good. I'm sure your mother appreciates the help."

Tifa frowned as she saw the look on Denzel's face darken a little as he gave the man a nod. "Hm."

She gave the merchant a friendly goodbye and left together with Denzel, who was staring ahead, lost in thought, and when she offered him her hand again he ignored her. Did it bother him that people thought they were mother and son?

The boy had lost his parents in a very violent way, one that they were partly responsible for, and she realized that them taking care of him was their way of atoning for their sins. But what had started out as atonement had long since become genuine motherly love, and she was sure Cloud also loved him like he was their own.

Maybe Denzel needed to realize that? That they loved him the same way his parents loved him?

"Denzel?"

"Hm?"

"Do you want to help me make some cupcakes?"

After they left the market they had made a little detour to a store, that Tifa liked to frequent when it came to baking, before returning to 7th Heaven. Back there she put away their purchases and filled a few vases with water to place the flowers inside. With that done, she and Denzel headed into their private kitchen upstairs, where she immediately went to work making the batter, making sure to involve the boy as much as possible.

After the batter was done she divided it up into a special cupcake pan, before putting it into the oven. They both sat down at the table staring at the oven, silence setting over them as they waited. Tifa glanced over to him, the look in his eyes still far away, and she sighed through her nose.

"I know how you feel," she said to Denzel, making the boy look at her. "I also lost my mother when I was young. I was as old as you are now."

"Sorry," he mumbled and she gave him a small smile.

"It hurt a lot back then. Still does."

"How did she die?" he asked after a pause.

"She was sick. Nobody knew what it was exactly," she told him as a nostalgic sadness gripped her heart. "To me it felt like the world was ending. In fact, I did something very stupid soon after; something that nearly got me killed, too."

"What was that?"

"Where I'm from, we believed that the spirits of the deceased would travel across the mountain," she explained to him. "So I was trying to follow her, because I wanted to see her.

"I got hurt pretty badly. If not for Cloud I might have been dead. He was the only one that was brave enough to follow me." She smiled inwardly at the look of awe on the boy's face at the mention of Cloud's bravery. He was most likely imagining it more epicly than it truly was.

Rising to her feet, she walked over to Denzel and knelt in front of him, looking him in the eyes. "I know how it feels like to lose one's parents. My father died when I was 15, and soon after I found myself alone in a strange city." She shook her head. "No, that's not true. I wasn't alone."

She took one of Denzel's hands in her own. "There was a kind man, a stranger at the time, that took it upon himself to take care of me, a girl with nowhere to go, and after a while it felt like I had a father again. Denzel, I know I can never replace your mother, and I'm not going to ask you to call me 'Mom'. But as far as I'm concerned, you're my son."

The boy started to shake as sobs racked his body, and in a flash he all but tackled her to the ground as he hugged her. She moved her free arm around to hug him back and placed a kiss on top of his head. After his sobs had quieted down they let go of each other, and Tifa brushed the last remaining tears out of his face.

"I love you," she told him, and a small grin split her face as she saw him look down in a bashful manner.

"Love you too," he mumbled, and Tifa ruffled his hair, before pulling him into another hug.

The world needs more mother and son stuff with Tifa and Denzel, so here's my little contribution.
Now on the topic I was talking about above. So I'm afraid Post Crisis is going to be on a bit of a back burner, since I'm focusing a lot on Journey of a Barmaid, and some of my future Post Crisis chapter (which I already have done in a conceptual phase) would spoil some things from there, so it's gonna be more of a trickle from now on. I hope you guys don't mind and still enjoy what I write regardless!